Wondrous Item, very rare (requires attunement by a person with a neutral alignment)

"You made a promise to the Serpent and failed to show resolve. Your heart is now poisoned, and my venom will strike true!" - Tetto Saki

The Serpent's Vow is a powerful magical item that forges a deadly promise between two people. The item itself is a beautifully crafted golden pocket watch, inlay with an inscription of the word Poison. The hands of the clock do not spin, giving it the appearance of a broken clock. Biting down on the watch is a snake's head forged of gold and carved with shining scales. Rubies replace the serpent's eyes, and its two sharp fangs hang over the side of the watch like icicles.

When forming a promise with another individual, each participant must give their blood to the serpent as an act of strong will. When a finger is placed within the jaws of the snake, it will quickly bite down, dealing 1d4 poison damage to the target. Their blood coats the fangs and is slowly absorbed into the watch, making the ruby eyes glow bright. As soon as the blood is sacrificed and a promise is made, the hands of the clock will begin to turn, which symbolizes the ongoing deal.

When a promise is formed using the watch, a time limit must be set. It can be any time from a day to a lifetime, as long as a timeframe is given. If the promise is completed in the given time, the individual who forged the promise is free from their vow. However, if they fail to complete their promise, the serpent's venom will destroy their body, killing them instantly. However, the same applies to the user of the watch. If they fail to act on their end of the deal, they will similarly be killed.

As time passes, and the individual avoids fulfilling their promise, they will begin to feel side effects from their overdue deal. They will first become poisoned, which cannot be healed by magical means. They will slowly begin to lose their health, taking a permanent 1d4 poison damage after every day, week, or month depending on the timeframe of the deal. However, if they still fail to act on their promise, their body will begin to decay. The individual will lose a point of their Constitution after every cycle. If they drop to zero points, they succumb to the poison and die.

Additionally, because of the user's deep connection with snakes, they become immune to poison damage. They also gain advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks that require scent or hearing.

Notably, up to three promises can be made at once. Each additional promise will create a set of ruby hands for the clock.

Cursed: This watch is cursed, and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to the user. As long as the user remains cursed, they are unwilling to part with the watch, keeping it in reach at all times.

When attuned to this watch, it thirsts for the user's blood, and it will do anything to get it. Each time the user is healed magically, the watch will attempt to keep them injured, allowing them to give it more blood. The user must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or not feel the effects of the healing.

 

 

Notes: Immunity: Poison, Advantage: Perception, person with a neutral alignment

BigBadWolf76

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